12 NAVY NEWS, AUGUST 2009
641
Exploits and illustrious deeds
D
O NOT be fooled by
the perspective in
this photograph.
Her Majesty’s Ship Exploit is a
lot smaller than HMS Daring.
Try 435ft shorter, 50ft narrower
and 7,950 tonnes lighter.
And aside from the fact that
(a) both fly the White Ensign and
(b) both are painted battleship
grey, these two unlikely bedfellows
also share England’s second city,
Birmingham.
Visiting the West Midlands is
obviously impossible for Daring,
but small though Exploit might
be, the P2000 Archer-class patrol
boat cannot negotiate the various
Class: Archer-class P2000
natural and manmade waterways
patrol craft
to reach the city with which she Pennant number: P167
is bound. Motto: Illustrious deeds
The craft serves Birmingham Builder: Vosper Thornycroft
University Royal Naval Unit Commissioned: 1988
(URNU) but is actually based
Displacement: 54 tonnes
in Penarth, just south of Cardiff
Length: 65ft (20m)
along with her sister ship HMS
Beam: 19ft (5.8m)
Express (Wales’ URNU boat).
Draught: 6ft (1.8m)
URNUs are units of
Speed: 14 knots
undergraduate students who
choose a life less ordinary and
Range: 550 nautical miles
whilst studying for their degrees
Complement: 5 ship’s
learn about leadership, navigation
company, up to 12
and seamanship with the Royal
students
es
Navy.
Propulsion: 2 x Perkins
During term time she operates
she has taken students, cadets,
basis, whilst the Commanding tasked to maintain Exploit’s am blessed,” says CO Lt Matt (Rolls Royce) CV12 turbo
in the Bristol Channel and deploys
affi liates and VIPs into over 40
Offi cer is up in HMS Forward electronic navigation fi t, radar and Fairclough-Kay. “Having the ship
diesel engines
further afi eld during the Easter
ports from London to Stornaway.
in Birmingham. He lives just communications equipment. displaced from the unit (there’s not
Armament: Fitted for 3 x
and summer holidays.
Highlights have included
outside Portsmouth and when not Jonah splits his time when away much coastline in Birmingham)
7.62mm GPMGs and 1 x
Every one of the 14 P2000s based
the Gloucester Pirate Festival,
busy with masses of paper work from the ship between Gosport means I spend a good deal of
20mm cannon
in the UK is kept busy throughout
Swansea and Mumbles Navy Days
or family life he is training and and a riverbank – wherever he is, time away from the platform
Affiliates: Berkeley, HMS
the year, conducting sea training
where the ship had more than
playing for the RN Rugby Vets. his fi shing rod is never far from his working with the unit’s coxswain,
Daring, TS Blackcap,
for the 51 undergraduates who
1,250 visitors (not at the same time
CPOET(ME) Mike ‘Spoons’ hand. CPO(UW) Carl Wild.
TS Minerva, Hereford
make up each unit, carrying out
mercifully...) and the opening of Spooner is Exploit’s marine
AB(Sea) Paul ‘Stevo’ “He and the ship’s company
directed tasking assigned by CINC
the Liquid Natural Gas Terminal engineer offi cer and his sterling Stephenson looks after the paper
give me the confi dence to
Cathedral School CCF,
Fleet and also the Naval Regional at South Hook, Milford Haven in
work keeps the 21-year-old hull chart outfi t and publications in his concentrate on whatever task is in
University of Birmingham,
Commanders, who use the boats the presence of the Queen.
and all the machinery in good role as Navigators Yeoman. hand, whether I am on board or
Brownhills Girl Guides
to give a wide spectrum of people Making all this possible is
working order so that she is always This is vital job as Exploit relies at the unit, because I know that in Facts and figur
a taste of the Navy fi rst hand. Exploit’s small, but dedicated
ready to fulfi l her mission. Living on paper navigation to educate my absence they are working with
Over the past six months Exploit ship’s company. Being such a
near Faslane Naval Base, he has the students who come to sea considerable dedication to ensure HMS Exploit from a shipyard in
has been living up to her motto modest size means each member
to plan his work-life balance with and fulfi l the navigating offi cer’s we can give our best ashore and Seattle.
‘Illustrious deeds’ and in her own of the team has many roles; every
care to ensure his family get as role, piloting the ship under close afl oat.” Barely two months into
small way she’s been getting the evolution Exploit undertakes much care and attention as he
guidance of the CO. Having The P2000 is the first Royal construction, the US Navy decided
White Ensign seen and the Navy’s requires input from them all. lavishes on the ship. recently become a proud father Navy warship named Exploit to
it would need the vessel for the
message heard throughout the We don’t have space to list them LET(ME) Daniel ‘Jonah’ Jones Stevo is never short of something fly the White Ensign – but she’s Pacific campaign and promptly
UK. all here so here is a snap shot: is the MEO’s right hand man. to do whether on board or at not the first to bear the name acquired her as the USS Vigilance.
Operating alone at times, but CPO(UW) Andy ‘Sherlock’ As the ship’s weapon engineer home. Exploit. She served with distinction for a
in the main with HMS Express Holmes is the executive offi cer offi cer (when he’s not assisting “I couldn’t ask for a better Back in late 1942, the Royal quarter of a century before being
to enhance training opportunities; and runs the ship on a day to day his head of department), he is team than those with whom I Navy ordered minesweeper sold to the Philippines.
photographic
HEROES OF THE ROYAL NAVY No.64
NOT so much
Lt Peter ‘Hoagy’ Carmichael DSC
‘Jungly’ as
‘Deserty’. This BY FIRST light on Saturday August 9 1952, Lt the four Furies released their drop tanks, closed
month’s rummage Peter ‘Hoagy’ Carmichael had been in the air a formation and prepared to engage.
around in the good half hour. Streaks of tracer raced past the fuselage of
photographic Accompanied by three 802 Naval Air Squadron S/Lt ‘Smoo’ Ellis, who yelled “Break” over the
archive of the comrades in Sea Furies, he followed the railway radio and the four naval fighters broke into
Imperial War line from the port of Chinnampo – today Nampo two pairs – a ‘scissors’ manoeuvre to split the
Museum takes – as it carved its way through south-west North enemy.
us to RFA Argus Korea towards the capital Pyongyang, a couple What followed was four or five intense minutes
during the fi rst Gulf of dozen miles away. of jockeying for position somewhere above the
War. Once a fishing village, Chinnampo was now Chinnampo-Pyongyang-Hanchon ‘triangle’ – a
The crew of a gateway to the country for much of its seaborne dogfight, for want of a better word.
Sea King HC4 of A trade and vital to the country’s war effort. MiGs and Sea Furies made several head-
Flight, 846 Naval HMS Ocean had only left the Japanese port on passes with closing speeds approaching
Air Squadron – of Kure the day before. She wasted no time in 1,000mph.
believed to be the striking a blow at communist infrastructure by At least two communist jets were damaged by
senior pilot, Lt Cdr launching Carmichael’s flight. the 802 cannon, a third pounced on Carmichael’s
P S Doyne Ditams If the United Nations were aware of the tail. The Sea Fury turned, the MiG flew straight
and Capt Kurt importance of the 300 square miles of territory in past, then used his air brakes to try to slow
Baden, US Marine the Chinnampo-Pyongyang-Hanchon (30 miles down.
Corps – walk north of Chinnampo) ‘triangle’, then so too were In doing so he fell right into Carmichael’s
away from their the communists. sights. As the enemy pilot realised his mistake
helicopter wearing They dispatched their leading fighter of the day and tried to power away from the Sea Fury,
Nuclear Biological to safeguard the ‘triangle’, the Mikoyan Gurevich shells from the 20mm cannon ripped into the
and Chemical 15 – to Allied pilots, simply the MiG-15. fuselage. The MiG rolled on to its back then fell
equipment and Its arrival in Korean skies in the autumn of away, plunging into a hillside.
carrying their 1950 had rather stunned the Allied air forces who It was the Fleet Air Arm’s first ‘kill’ in Korean
electrically- had enjoyed superiority until that moment. skies – and one of the fewe few
powered air Such was the impact of the swept-wing jet on instances of a jet being downed wned
fi ltration units. the war in Korea that pilots coined a name for by a piston-engined aircraft.
From October its stomping ground over the Yalu River – MiG All four Sea Furies returrnned ed
1990 until April Alley. safely to Ocean without anyany
1991 A Flight was By the summer of 1952, the sight of a MiG- damage. ‘Hoagy’ Carmichaelchael
embarked aboard 15 was no longer a shock to Allied airmen and was credited with the kill – and and
RFA Argus during better-trained American pilots in their Sabres felt subsequently awarded the DSC, DSC,
Operation Granby. they had the measure of the Soviet fighter. although he maintained that it at it
(GLF 486) A piston-engined aircraft was another was a team effort.
proposition entirely. Before the day was out,out, ■ THIS photograph
– and 9,999,999 The Hawker Sea Fury might have been the Carmichael was back over theer the
others from a apotheosis of piston-engined fighter design, ‘triangle’, destroying a bridge, dge,
century of war but with a top speed of 460mph it was 200mph while his fellow Oceann
and peace – can slower than the jet. fliers scrapped with MiGs
be viewed or The Sea Fury still had a couple of tricks up its repeatedly.
purchased at www. sleeve. It could outmanoeuvre any jet in Korean No more communist jets
iwmcollections. skies. In the hands of an experienced pilot, it were downed – but nor did
org.uk, by emailing could hold its own. the MiGs destroy a single e
photos@IWM.org. ‘Hoagy’ Carmichael was an experienced piston-driven Fleet Air Arm m
uk, or by phoning pilot – as were his comrades. When the radio aircraft that Saturday.
0207 416 5333. crackled with the words: “MiGs, five o’clock,”
012_NN_August.indd 1 22/7/09 15:47:51
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